Lancaster Mennonite claimed the 2025–26 LSCL championship, closing out a strong season. Here's a full look back — final standings, individual performances worth noting, and a few words of thanks to everyone who made it happen.
It wasn't a perfect season for Lancaster Mennonite — no season ever really is. They opened with a draw against Elizabethtown, dropped a January match to Lancaster Country Day, and finished 10–1–1. But when snow cancellations shortened the calendar and the league decided to settle the title on record alone, LM's résumé was the one that held up.
What made the season more impressive: Lancaster Mennonite won four of their matches with just four players on the board. In a league where depth matters, that says something about how the top of their roster is built.
Hempfield gave them the most competition. The Spartans finished 10–2–0 — a genuinely strong season — but both losses came against LM. If there was any doubt about who the league's best team was this year, those two matches settled it. Hempfield's hopes for a seventh league title will have to wait for another season.
Final Standings — 2025–26 Regular Season
| Place | School | Record | Board Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lancaster Mennonite 🏆 | 10–1–1 | 43.5 |
| 2nd | Hempfield | 10–2–0 | 41 |
| 3rd | Manheim Township | 7–4–0 | 31 |
| 4th | Lancaster Country Day | 5–6–1 | 27 |
| 5th | Elizabethtown | 4–6–2 | 23.5 |
| 6th | Ephrata | 2–9–0 | 20.5 |
| 7th | Penn Manor | 1–9–0 | 13 |
Individual Standout
Lancaster Mennonite senior Donavon Stoltzfus finished 10–2 on the regular season and went 6–0 at the end-of-season tournament to take the individual title there as well. His two regular season losses came against Skylar Moua of Ephrata and Seth Ganser of Penn Manor — a reminder that even the league's top-rated player has to earn it every match. Stoltzfus graduates this spring, and his departure will shake up the individual rankings considerably heading into 2026–27.
End-of-Season Tournament
On February 24th, 46 players gathered at Ephrata High School for the league's end-of-season Swiss tournament — six rounds, pizza, and a full afternoon of chess. The top finishers:
- Donavon Stoltzfus (Lancaster Mennonite) — 6–0
- Jeremiah Cassidy (Ephrata) — 5–1
- Ty Sauder (Hempfield) — 5–1
A Note on the Season
The 2025–26 year started with eight teams but finished with seven. Garden Spot stepped back after graduating six of their seven active players, and Lancaster Catholic never got started — their coach departed at the end of the first marking period, before the season began. That left each remaining team with a bye week built into the schedule.
Two snow events — one that materialized, one that mostly didn't — also cost the league a pair of match days, which is part of why the playoff format was set aside in favor of settling the title on record alone.
Seven schools, a shortened calendar, some weather-shortened weeks — and the league still played nearly a full season. Lancaster Mennonite receives the Steve Caruthers Memorial Trophy.
Thanks to the coaches, advisors, parents, and players who made the season work. We'll see you in December.